PPB April 2015

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Give your brand a great name.
The name Fleetwood Mac was
derived from the surnames of Mick
Fleetwood and the band’s bass guitarist John
McVie. Not only is it easy to remember, but
it makes sense.
Protect your brand.
Intellectual property is very
important for brands, and some of
them invest millions of dollars each year to
protect their rights. But, unfortunately,
Fleetwood and McVie had signed an agree-
ment giving up ownership in the name, and
in 1975 their manager formed what he
thought was a better version, without
“Fleetwood” or “Mac.” The new musical
group, Stretch, began touring, undeterred by
threat of lawsuit, while the real band took
some time off. A lawsuit was filed and the
real Fleetwood Mac was off the road for
a year.
Develop brand fans.
The situation righted itself, as
told by one of the pseudo-Macs,
keyboard player Dave Wilkinson: “When we
got to New York for the first date, all we
heard was, ‘Where the hell’s Mick
Fleetwood?’ It was quite frightening. I really
did think I was going to get shot.” Also, John
Courage, the original band’s road manager at
the time, found out that none of the original
members would “be joining the tour later,” so
he hid the equipment. Fleetwood Mac’s man-
ager lost the lawsuit and his job.
How much can your brand
stand?
I have to hand it to Fleetwood.
During the band’s 40-year history, the group
has been like a swinging door with an addi-
tional 16 members in or out at any given
time. Add to the mix sex, drugs, broken
romances, infidelity and divorces, and it is
truly amazing that Fleetwood Mac is still
together—and that the “original” members
are all still with us.
Expand your brand.
The most important thing I
took away from our small-group
session was: “All ideas are good, it’s the tim-
ing that’s sometimes bad.”
A friend approached Fleetwood in 2001
about starting a winery. He said, “It was a
good idea, except I didn’t have the time to
devote to it. It rattled around my mind for a
few years and in 2006 I made it happen.”
Now Costco buys all of his production.
Fleetwood has since expanded into premium
varietal blends and supplies his wines to
restaurants.
Branding inspiration can come from
many sources, and I’m fortunate that I
had the chance to learn from a branding
master.
This article originally appeared in The Business
Journals.
Joe Scott, MAS, is vice presi-
dent of Chanhassen, Minnesota-
based distributor Scott &
Associates, Inc. (UPIC: SCOT-
TASC) and a former PPAI board
member. Reach him at
.
APRIL 2015 • PPB • 43
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